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Post by philknj on Nov 20, 2021 1:18:16 GMT
Except for one tournament, the dates are set, but I'm surprised to see so many TBD entries for the golf courses. It's possible that a lot of renewals are in works, but they don't want to officially announce it until contracts are signed ... who knows.
The good news is Cognizant is one of the TBDs ... C'mon Mollie, move it to your old neighborhood at TPC Jasna Polana ... Forsgate CC (Banks Course) would also delight me. It can still be a little chilly in Mid-May, but it beats fog and darkness in October.
As usual, Shoprite/Acer is a sitting duck between the USWO and the $2.5M Meijer, but I don't care, I'm still going ... besides, the Benyapa Niphatsophon's of the world need somewhere to play.
Fanofseri will be running around next year ... right after Wilshire CC, they're going to a new place, Palos Verdes GC ... the course website says the back tees are at 6,433 yards ... here comes the 220-yard par-fours. 
Big changes regarding Mediheal ... now in early October and they moved out of the Bay Area to The Saticoy Club, about 5-10 miles northeast of downtown Oxnard ... again, we'll need fanofseri's expert opinion on this move. This site ranks Saticoy at #79 in California (old site Lake Merced is #69) -
Quite odd to see a TBD site for BMW/Korea ... I thought the current golf course (which is NOTHING special) was supposed to be some kind of permanent LPGA location in Korea.
The return to Cincinnati will be at Kenwood CC, which has two 18-hole courses, Kenview and Kendale. The 1963 USWO was played there ... per Wikipedia, the course was set at 6,444 yards ... Mary Mills (-3) was the only player under par and won this bloodbath by three shots. Mickey Wright skipped it for a private bloodbath (dental appointment).
Oz and NZ got ash-canned. Singapore, Thailand, China, Taiwan, Canada and Japan need to stop being Candy-A$$ countries and fulfill their LPGA obligations. Either that, or turn these tournaments over to JTBC ... when in trouble, just give it to them.
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Post by verdantgarden on Nov 20, 2021 4:53:51 GMT
After trying and failing to hold the Canadian Open in Vancouver, B.C. for two seasons running due to Covid, the event is moving to Ontario. Darn it! Missed chances for me.
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Post by legitimategolf on Nov 20, 2021 13:38:21 GMT
Wow! I regretted not making it to this year's Founders. I was busy trying to buy a house across the country. But now the house has been bought, and it's in Ventura County! Saticoy Club is only 30 minutes south. Shocked to see the LPGA or any pro tournament playing anywhere around there. Ojai Valley Inn (in my new hometown) once hosted the Champions Tour but that was years ago. I'm curious to see the fan turnout. This area is somewhat LA adjacent but it's also kind of remote.
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Post by legitimategolf on Nov 20, 2021 14:10:41 GMT
JTBC is now the title sponsor for LA, Palos Verdes and the former Kia Classic. Even though there's still just the one event in Korea, the balance of power continues to shift eastward.
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Post by SoYeonFan on Nov 20, 2021 15:49:25 GMT
JTBC is now the title sponsor for LA, Palos Verdes and the former Kia Classic. Even though there's still just the one event in Korea, the balance of power continues to shift eastward. Thank to the Eastern Countries the LPGA is able to have more Tournaments. The USA Corporations don't seem to care about the LPGA. The best player in the US, Nelly Korda is not picked up by a USA Corporation. |
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Post by jumpcut on Nov 20, 2021 16:48:31 GMT
The LPGA would be a tiny fraction of its size if not for the sponsorship dollars and broadcast rights fees paid by Korea.
The LPGA uses that money to pay GC just to broadcast its tournaments in the US. Because no US broadcaster would ever pay the LPGA to air its games.
It would be more accurate to just call it the JTBC Tour.
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Post by philknj on Nov 20, 2021 17:55:43 GMT
I'm surprised the state of Arizona got stiffed for the second year in a row. This is serious golf territory and all they merit is the lousy Symetra tour? The Asian venues are not reliable ... why not go to AZ the week after Mediheal or the week before Pelican or the week before Aviara?
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Post by fanofseri on Nov 28, 2021 3:59:21 GMT
I'll be at the Texaco. I don't give a rat's ass about the Gary Player variant. There better be a lot of girls with baggy shorts and mullets. We need to go out in style.
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Post by philknj on Dec 27, 2021 15:31:35 GMT
It's now official ... the fourth edition of the LPGA Drive On Championship has been added to the schedule for February 3 thru 5 at Crown Colony G & CC ... no pro-ams ... no spectators (except club members) ... no regular or cable TV ... in other words, the LPGA as a snob sport ... I didn't see that coming.
The tournament website is not up yet. Where will the volunteers come from? Are there enough club members to do that (or want to do that)? Eck, they might need a few outsiders.
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Post by jumpcut on Dec 27, 2021 21:49:31 GMT
It's now official ... the fourth edition of the LPGA Drive On Championship has been added to the schedule for February 3 thru 5 at Crown Colony G & CC ... no pro-ams ... no spectators (except club members) ... no regular or cable TV ... in other words, the LPGA as a snob sport ... I didn't see that coming. Has that ever happened before? They're going through all the expense and effort to produce a golf broadcast, and GC won't even show it on tape delay in the middle of the night? Speaks volumes as to how little the LPGA means to the GIC. At least Whan was able to secure TV time on GC for all those Drive On events he produced in 2020. Mollie should have insisted it be shown on cable at least in the middle of the night, so people can record and watch it at their convenience. Big Fail. The only reason I can think of for this 'non-broadcast production' is contractual. The LPGA's agreement with JTBC must require them to produce a broadcast for every event. The irony is that Korean TV shows more LPGA coverage than American TV. |
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Post by don on Dec 28, 2021 3:15:07 GMT
I don’t see an ivy leaguer worrying too much about an lpga broadcast even if they are the commish.
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Post by HappyFan on Dec 28, 2021 5:17:51 GMT
Will the event be broadcast in Korea? Maybe that's why they would create a broadcast but not show it here?
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Post by philknj on Feb 8, 2022 17:44:00 GMT
The prelim. field for Shoprite/Acer has space for 132 names, NOT 144 names. That must be a mistake ... they probably copied last year's "template" when the event was played with less daylight in October. They are back to the usual early June dates in 2022, so they should have 144 spots ... they had 144 during the last "normal" year of 2019.
At least 31 more spots need to be filled ... Kim Williams got in at #104.   ... will Maggie Will show up again?  As usual, this event is a sitting duck in the line-up: one week after USWO, one week before Meijer ($2.5M) and two weeks before KPMG. Shibuno, Furue and An are NOT entered (yet?) ... hello, it's not that far from NC to AC.
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I'm sure you've heard the news about Cognizant Founders Cup moving to Upper Montclair CC. I know the place well, thanks to the 2007 thru 2009 Sybase Championships ... and I grew up in a house on the other side of the GSP. During Sybase, I drove in via a temporary or maintenance entrance off Rte 3 East and you'd be parked on an unused golf hole (it's a 27-hole track). I don't remember paying for or needing tickets ... just a $10 parking fee. However, I have a gut feeling that the organizers will be just as "rapacious" as last year.  When they call volunteers "brand ambassadors", you know the public will get it in the neck.
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Assuming the course layout will be the same as in the old days, I'll bet the par-5 11th will be the AON hole ... what I wrote in 2007:
The 11th hole is a beauty. It’s the short dogleg par 5 with the canal in front of the green. From the fairway, I watched Kim and Vega lay up, but Dahllof went for it and pushed it short and right for a water ball. But, she still made par.
I decided to hang out at this hole for a while. Andy North drove by in his ESPN golf cart to check out the action too. Jane Park was in the next group and she dunked her second shot and got a bogey.
One of the marquis groups was next, Lorena Ochoa, Suzann Pettersen, and Morgan Pressel. While standing in the right rough, I heard a ball crashing through the trees. It missed some casual water and came to rest on a half decent lie. The ball was a Callaway and had a small red ‘z’ marking. It must be the mark of Zorro, because Ochoa came looking for it. The ball was 1-2 inches below her feet. She pulled out a hybrid and knocked it on the green. Pettersen also got there in two, but Pressel had to lay up. Morgan got a par and the other two got birdies.
Se Ri Pak came by two groups later, got there in two and made eagle. The good players were killing this hole, but I still saw five or six water balls during my limited time there. One was by Mollie Fankhauser. I was on the edge of the fairway about 10-15 yards from the canal when she hit a low banana ball that had my name on it. I ran away from the fairway, but that put me in the path of the ball! I finally dropped down and covered my head. Then I looked behind me and saw the ball scoot into the part of the canal that fronts the par-3 15th green.
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Post by verdantgarden on May 15, 2022 3:29:56 GMT
I'm glad to see the announcement that the Portland tournament is returning to Columbia Edgewater CC. Yet another Korean company has come through to sponsor (AmazingCre specializes in sports apparel). This will be my first tournament to spectate in years.
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... will Maggie Will show up again? 
As usual, this event is a sitting duck in the line-up: one week after USWO, one week before Meijer ($2.5M) and two weeks before KPMG. Shibuno, Furue and An are NOT entered (yet?) ... hello, it's not that far from NC to AC.
When they call volunteers "brand ambassadors", you know the public will get it in the neck.